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Young couple killed in Oxford crash

A young Oxford couple was killed in a single-car crash early Saturday morning.

Police said the driver, Tyler Menard, 26, was traveling south on Main Street at 2:18 a.m. when his 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt veered off the road and hit a utility pole. The pole was hit with such force that it snapped in half.

"The telephone pole was like snapped off from the bottom, and it was kind of like sitting at an angle," said neighbor Lisa Hansen. "There was actually debris in my driveway. The headlight from the car was over here."

Authorities said Menard and his passenger, Amanda Riopel, 21, also of Oxford were both killed. Friends said the couple, who had been out celebrating Riopel's birthday, leave behind a young child.

"It's definitely a major tragedy here for a lot of people and community members here in Oxford,” said police Sgt. Anthony Saad. “It's unfortunate. They leave behind a 2-year-old son."

Throughout the day, a growing memorial to the couple was left at a make-shift memorial near the crash site. Nick Aubin said his friends were great people who were all about providing for their son.

“They just loved their kid. They were all about their kid, doing anything they could for him,” Aubin said. It's just so sad what happened. He has to grow up without his parents."

The cause of the crash is under investigation. Authorities said neither victim was wearing their seatbelt.

"At this point it appears they were not wearing their seat belt when the crash occurred," Saad said.

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